Home insurance warning over DIY blunders

Brits could be heading to their home insurance providers cap in hand after causing extensive damage in DIY blunders, it has been revealed.

According to high street bank Halifax, bungling Britons cause a collective £350 million worth of damage to their homes in home improvement nightmares - many doing so by copying DIY shows on TV .

This accounts for the 750,000 people causing problems in the home - with changing rooms accounting for the lion's share of copycat catastrophes - at £484 on average each time.

Damage such as this could find Britons raiding their savings accounts to repair or making a home insurance claim . But Halifax warns that making botched jobs could actually make the policy invalid.

Vicky Emmott, a spokesperson for Halifax Home Insurance, commented: Indeed trying to tackle certain areas that you are not qualified for, such as electrics or plumbing could invalidate your home insurance and leave you liable for the cost of any subsequent damage.

A recent study by Saga found that one in three UK residents expect their home improvement jobs to last for under half a decade.